China's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has ordered a fresh crackdown on the infringement of well-known foreign and domestic brands' intellectual property rights (IPRs).

Greater efforts must be made to fight the production and sale of pirated books, audio, video, software, medicine, food and agricultural products, Liu Jinguo, deputy minister of public security, said at a meeting in Beijing Friday, according to a statement posted on the MPS website Saturday.

The special nationwide campaign started Friday and will last until March 2011.

At a Nov. 5 meeting, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urged government agencies to target the root causes of IPRs infringement while strengthening IPRs protection.

In a statement Xinhua received Friday, the MPS said Chinese police in a special March 2006 operation uncovered 3,775 cases of IPRs infringement.

In a July 2007 campaign conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Intelligence, Chinese police arrested over 20 in connection to the cases.

(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2010)